Intragastric balloon surgery for treating obesity involves insertion and placement of an inflatable member, such as an intragastric balloon, in the stomach. The intragastric balloon, when inflated, may occupy a portion of the volume of the interior of a patient's stomach, thereby reducing feeling of hunger in the patient. The intragastric balloon may be inflated by filling an interior volume of the intragastric balloon with a fluid, such as a gas. After a period of time, the balloon may be deflated and removed from the stomach.
Deflating the intragastric balloon may be attempted using a deflation member with a distal opening in fluid communication with a lumen. The deflation member may be inserted through an opening in a wall of the inflated intragastric balloon. Fluid in the inflated intragastric balloon may be withdrawn from, or otherwise flow out of, the interior volume of the intragastric balloon, by passing through the distal opening and the lumen of the deflation member and travelling out of the intragastric balloon.
However, in some instances, deflation of the intragastric balloon may cause the intragastric balloon to deflate or collapse in ways that the intragastric balloon may take on irregular shapes. For example, the intragastric balloon may deflate in a way that one or more pockets of fluid may be present in the intragastric balloon, the pockets being formed, for example, by contacting portions of the wall of the intragastric balloon. Those or other portions of the balloon wall may obstruct the distal opening of the deflation member during deflation of the intragastric balloon. As a result, fluid may be blocked from flowing out of the intragastric balloon. Thus, the intragastric balloon may remain partially inflated. If the intragastric balloon is partially inflated, it may be more difficult to remove from the interior of the stomach due to its size.
In some other instances, the deflation member may move back and forth in the balloon to withdraw the fluid or gas. During this movement, a portion of the balloon may be emptied while some portions of the balloon may still be filled with the fluid or gas. It may be difficult to move the deflation member back and forth in all the directions of the balloon in order to withdraw 100% or substantially 100% of the fluid or gas from the balloon. Sometimes, excessive back and forth movement may cause a sudden unintentional withdrawal of the deflation member from an opening of the balloon. It may be difficult to repuncture the balloon and reinsert the deflation member in the balloon. For example, the inflated balloon may have a harder outer surface and therefore be easier to puncture, as compared to the softer outer surface of the partially deflated balloon.
Thus, it may be beneficial to provide apparatus as well as methods of use thereof that address or overcome some or all of the above issues.